Program-clock.



W; A. NICHOLS.

' PROGRAM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED ran. I5, ms.

anwwto'z Patented-Nov. 27, 1917. 2 SHEETSSHET 1.

Waimma 1.;

W. A. NlCHOLS.

' PROGRAM CLOCK. -APPLICATION 'msn m. as. me.

Pawnted Nov. 2" 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. NICHOLS, or JANESVILLE, wIsooNsIN, ASSIGNOR T0 LOUIS A.AVERY, 0F

JANESVILLE, wIsooNsIN.

PROGRAM-CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2'7, 1917.

Application filed February 15, 1916. Serial No. 78,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Janesville, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Program- Clocks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in clocks and moreparticularly in program clocks, the primary object of my invention beingthe provision of a clock which may be set to give an alarm after apredetermined time and which may be further 'set to give additionalalarms either prior to such time or subsequent thereto in order that theclock may be employed in giving notification of time in regard toseveral events.

More particularly, my improved program clock is intended for use byfruit andvegetable canners and the like to indicate or give an alarm atthe exact time that the cook should be taken from the oven. In thisconnection, one of the primary objects of my invention consists in theprovision of a program clock for this purpose which may be employed ingiving a number of separate and independent signals and, consequently,which may be employed in connection with a number of ovens or inconnection with a number of difl'erent cooks in the same oven.

A still further object of myinvention consists in providing a clock ofthe above described character which, in addition to the ordinary dialfor reading time, is provided with a pair of additional dial rings, oneof which is driven at a predetermined rate of speed by the works of theclock and the other of which is stationary and in effect forms thecontact receiving ring of the clock, the signals of which are givenelectrically by the closing of a circuit through a brush carried by themovable dial ring and a contact inserted in an opening formed in thefixed dial ring or signal ring. 7

In this connection, a further object of my invention is to so constructthe co-acting dial rings that the dial as a whole may be correctly readfrom any position.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

then specifically pointed out in the claim wh1ch forms a part of thisapplication.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of my inn proved program clock;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, a portion of the fixed dial or signal ringbeing shown in section and a portion of the main dial being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the clock;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of certain of the clockworkscontrolling the driving of the movable dial ring;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring system.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the. samereference characters.

' My invention includes a substantially rectangular casing 10 having ahinged front closure 11. Mounted within this casing is a conventionalclock mechanism 12 and a plurality of dry cells 13 supported by clamps14 and making up the battery, indicated in the diagram at 15 whichenergizes an elec tric gong 16 or other suitable signal preferablysecured to the outside of the casing.

The cells are preferably fastened to the casing itself and the works ofthe clock, as shown, are secured to the inner face of the closure inorder that they may be readily accessible upon opening of the closure.This closure is formed with an opening 17 through which the minute andhour hand shafts 18 and 19, respectively, extend and through which alsoextends a shaft 20 suitably journaled in the face plates of the clock.The shafts 18 and 19 carry the minute and hour hands 21 and 22,respectively. p The minute hand shaft'has fixed upon it a pinion 23which mesheswith a toothed wheel 24 loosely mounted upon an idler shaft25 and connected to a pinion 26 which meshes with the toothed wheel 27fixed upon the hour hand shaft 19, these being the toothed wheels andpinions employed in transmitting power from the minute hand shaft, whichis the drive shaft, to the hour hand shaft, thesetoothed wheels andpinions be ing common to substantially all clockworks.

In the present instance, however, I mount an additional toothed wheel 28upon the p shaft 20, previously referred to, this toothed wheel meshingwith the toothed wheel 24: and being so proportioned that it will turnits shaft 20 through a complete revolution once every two hours. Thisshaft 2-0 also projects through the closure 11 of the easm Secured tothe outer face of the closure 11 and concentrically with respect to theshaft 20, is a metal disk 29 forming the true dial plate of the clockitself, this disk being inscribed with the usual hour and minute handdivisions, as shown at 30, and being apertured for the passage of thehour and minute hand shafts and the shaft 20, none of the clockmechanism, however, touching the disk. This disk, adjacent itsperipheral edge, is formed with a circular series of openings 31 equallyspaced and extending throughout the entire circumference of the disk,there being 120 of such openings. (lo-acting with the shaft 20, is amovabledial ring 32 having a diametrically formed brace 33 providedcentrally with a hub. 3d engaging about the shaft 20 to which it issecured by a set screw 35. Because of this, the dial ring will interferebut slightlywith a view of the clock dial proper 30 in any positionwhich it may occupy. This dial ring is somewhat less in externaldiameter than the diameter of the circular outlineof the openings 31 ofthe plate 29 and has its periphery marked off by a plurality of radialminute divisions, as shown at 36, there being 120 of these divisions,each corresponding to one of the openings 31, This dial ring 32, at its120th, which is also its zero division has an outwardly and radiallyresilient contact member or brush 37 which projects slightly beyond theopenings 31 as the dial ring revolves.

The dial or face of the clock is covered by a door, indicated as a wholeby the numeral 38 and including a transparent crystal 39, secured bylocking buttons 40 to the inner face of the inwardly directed annularfiangeof a ring 41 which is. hingedly connected to the closure 11 asshown at 4:2 to swing upwardly and outwardly from the closure, As shown,the ring all is propertioned to clearthe plate 29 at its peripheraledges and a set screw 42 threaded into the lower peripheral edge of thering a l is adapted to engage between the fingers of a bracket 13.secured to the closure 11 and to: be clamped against such fingers tohold the door 38 in place. The ring del forming the frame of the doorhas its inwardly directed. annular flange provided with a series ofopenings 44 corresponding to and. one. in alinement with each one of theopeningsv 31 of the plate 29. This flange is also formed with radialinscriptions 4L5 projecting from the openings 14 and in effeet formingcontinuations of the corresponding inscriptions or divisions 36 of themovable dial ring These alined openings are adapted to receive theshanks of removable contact pins 21-6 in the manner best shown in Fig. 3of the drawings, any pin mounted in one of these pairs of alinedopenings, of course, projecting in the path of the brush 37. A pluralityof these contact pins are provided each preferably having its headinscribed with a distinguishing number and when the pins are not'in use,their shanks are seated in a series of openings 47 formed in the closure11 adjacent its lower end. A conductor wire 48 leads from one pole ofthe battery 15 to the bracket 13, a conductor wire f?) has electricalengage ment with the shaft 20 and leads to one terminal of the bell 16,and a conductor wire 50 leads from the other terminal of this bell tothe other pole of the battery 15. It will, therefore, be seen that thereis a circuit through the battery and bell normally open between therevolving dial ring 32 and the ring 11 forming a combined dial andsignal ring and that this circuit may be closed by engagement with thebrush 37 with a contact pin passed through the ring 11.

In operation, assuming that a cook has just. been placed in the oven, inwhich it should remain for thirty minutes, one of the contact pins wouldbe placed or passed through that opening 44 of the contact ring ll whichis then opposite the'divisionof the revolving dial ring 32 marked 30.Under these circumstances, the circuit through the signal would beautomatically closed at the end of thirty minutes and the person incharge notified that the cook should be removed from the oven.Obviously, cooks in any number of ovens or any number of cooks in thesame oven may be timed by a signal clock by giving each of the cooks anumber corresponding to the distinguish ing number of the contact pinemployed with it. The program clock illustrated and described is capableof giving a signal at any time fromone minute to two, hours after it isset, which isv usually sufliciently longv for the purpose. Obviously,however, it may be reset as often as necessary and thus arranged. togive a signal any number of hours after it was first set. Furthermore, Ido not wish to limit myself to the employment of a movable dial ringwhich turns once in two hours, in conjunction with a fixed dial orcontact ring having 120 contact'openings as the movable dial may bedriven at such a speed as to revolve only once in twoor three hours andthe dial and contact ring may be formed with a correspondingly largenumber of contact pin receiving openings. By forming both, the fixed,dial and contact ring and the revoluble dial ring with radialinscriptions and by mounting the latter immediately at the rear of theformer, it will be clear that I provide an arrangement which may beeasily read from any direction. Furthermore, although I have describedthe clock as particularly adapted for use by fruit and vegetablecanners, it will be understood that it may be employed for any purposein which indication of lapse of time is desirable, such as in connectionwith washing machines, driers and the like. For this reason, I do notwish to limit myself to any specific features or details of constructionother than those embodied in the claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a program clock, a swingingly mounted non-rotatable dial ringprovided with an annularseries of openings, a two-part fas-- tener forsecuring the dial ring in normal position, one part of the fastenerbeing carried by the ring, a clock driven revoluble dial ring providedwith circumferential scale divisions corresponding to the openings, abrush carried by the revoluble ring, a contact insertible in one of theopenings of the fixed dial ring to extend in the path of the brush, acircuit including the fixed and revoluble dial rings and the two partsof the fastener normally open between the brush and contact, and asignal device in the circuit.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM A. N IGHOLS. [1 s.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

